It was his first really big shot to put on his big-boy shoes, pants and headset and give some indication that he may be capable of becoming a big shot in his own right.

That was the build-up to College GameDay on Rocky Top for Derek Dooley last weekend.

He didn't exactly rise to meet the moment.

Three quarters of hope followed by a fourth quarter of frustration added up to Florida 37, Tennessee 20.

One game doesn't determine a legacy, or define a legacy's ability, but three years into his tenure, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Tennessee coach has light years to go to be anything like the next Vince Dooley or another Nick Saban.

You know, like his actual father or his football stepfather.

In a way, Florida-Tennessee was a jayvee version of the Saban Bowl, two proteges of the Alabama coach meeting up to see which apple fell closer to the tree. The scoreboard there now reads Will Muschamp 2, Dooley 0.

Dooley wasn't ready for his close-up, and Muschamp, in just the first month of his second season at Florida, has yet to arrive at that kind of unique crossroad. You know the stakes.

Win under those pressurized circumstances, and you can make people believe you're on your way to bigger and better things. Lose, and a few people may want to send you on your way.

Another young gun steps into that spotlight this weekend, and he may be better-equipped than any of his brothers to seize the moment. If any member of the Saban coaching family is ready for his close-up, it's Jimbo Fisher.

In his third year as the head coach at Florida State, his Seminoles are ranked No. 4 in the nation, and they're about to play the biggest game in the country, the biggest game of Fisher's young tenure.

College GameDay's coming to his city, and so is Dabo Swinney, and he's bringing a Clemson team ranked No. 9 in one poll and No. 10 in the other. There's nothing riding on this one beyond the upper hand in the Atlantic Division of the ACC and the inside track toward a run at an undefeated regular season and a spot in the BCS Championship Game.

Oh, and there's an Iron Bowl angle, too. Fisher coached at Auburn under Terry Bowden. Swinney played and coached at Alabama under Gene Stallings and Mike DuBose.

How much progress has Fisher made since transitioning from coach-in-waiting to actual head coach? For the first time in a decade, the notion that Florida State may be back seems like more than wishful thinking.

At FSU, getting back to the glory days of Bobby Bowden means stepping up in a big way. It means making a run at a national title on a regular basis and winning a couple along the way. On a smaller scale, it means winning a top-10 showdown at home when the eyes of college football are upon you.

This is the first time Florida State has been ranked in the top 10 for four straight weeks since 2005. This is a chance for the Seminoles to get to 4-0 for the first time since 2005. This is an opportunity for Fisher to add some tangible evidence to the belief some of us have that he's the Saban protege most likely to approach his mentor's level of consistent success.

More than Mark Dantonio, who's built a reliable winner at Michigan State. More than Muschamp, who's got that same kind of program under construction at Florida. More than Kirby Smart, who hasn't been offered the right job yet but should certainly be on the short list of Arkansas AD Jeff Long.

Fisher has a unique set of coaching parents, if you will. He's been raised by both Saban and Bowden, but he's becoming his own man.

It's hard to find two coaches that have taken such different roads to the same elite level. Fisher manages to combine Bowden's people skills and Saban's organizational acumen, Bowden's knack as an offensive mind and Saban's belief in the paramount importance of defense.

Bloodlines alone don't make a championship coach, but it'll be an upset if Fisher doesn't win some kind of big ring, and sometime soon. He can take a big step in that direction Saturday night.

Drop a civil comment below. Write Kevin at kscarbinsky@bhamnews.com. Follow him at www.Twitter.com/KevinScarbinsky. Listen to him weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on the Smashmouth Radio Network on ESPN 973 The Zone.